About

Our PhilosophyAbout Me

Our Philosophy

Rather than being separate, humans and nature are deeply interconnected. Nature is not only "out there" in special preserves but also in our back yards, cities, and overgrown abandoned places. By believing that we cannot have a positive impact on nature except by removing ourselves from it, we are losing a millennia-old partnership. Gardening allows us to mend this rift by reconnecting us with the wild earth. Humans can make nature better by managing, caring for, and creating diverse spaces for the many wild selves on this planet.

About Me

Renee LaGue- Owner & Landscape Designer

I've loved the outdoors, art, and constructing things ever since I was a young kid camping with my family and building stick huts in the snow. I double majored in environmental studies and creative writing at Oberlin College, and during the summers I managed crews of teenagers doing trail work in the mountains. We removed invasive plants and built stone stairs and stepping stones. I then apprenticed on sustainable farms and maintained elaborate gardens as a fine gardener.

Not content to be only a builder, I attended the Conway School of Landscape Design and received a M.A in ecological landscape design and planning in their collaborative, hands-on program. Afterwards, I provided outreach and community assistance with the National Park Service before going back to the University of Maryland to get more technical and design experience. Since graduating with a Master's of Landscape Architecture, I've worked as an ecological designer in California, at a green stormwater nonprofit in Maryland, and as a residential designer in and around Washington, D.C. I am also an ISA-certified arborist.